Estes Space Program Yankee Clipper

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Based on the contents, I'd have to put this set in the late 80's/early 90's era. I bought it off of Ebay with the intention of building and flying the rocket and scanning everything else for YORP. (Let me know if it's been done already. ;) ) I had to laugh at the copy of Model Rocket News that is included. Definitely some of the cheesiest photos in rocket history. One in particular shows a Geo Sat LV "lifting off" while a group of kids watch. One girl in particular appears to be having an explosive bowel event and the rocket looks like someone pasted its image into the shot like they were scrapbooking or making a bad collage. This is right below the picture of Scott "Rokitflite" Branch and his mind-numbing collection of Estes kits. In another picture a group of kids are running after a "recovering" rocket and the kid who is making a grab for the rocket looks like he's taking a bullet. The rocket looks to be another bad cut and paste job. Fairly amusing, but not as good as the BM girl. Overall the whole package seems directionless and less than well though out. Sound familiar? Even back then the issue could have benefitted from a design contest like the good old days. At least a plan would have been nice.
I was happy to see that the Yankee Clipper rocket that is included with the set is not what I expected it would be. For some reason I thought it would be another variation of the Challenger I rocket with the plastic fin can, but it's actually got balsa fins. It has cheesy sticker decals, but I think I can live with them. Nothing very exciting, but not something you see all the time either. ;) :cool:

[CPMcGraw]

Based on the contents, I'd have to put this set in the late 80's/early 90's era. ..

Bill,

We don't have that design on YORP per-se, but I think it's actually the same rocket as the earlier Cougar. I could be wrong, so go ahead and scan the rocket's contents. We won't know until we have something to compare with...

The timeframe was 1988 through 1994. This was introduced as the "premium" for what was now called the "Estes Space Program". The "Estes Aerospace Club", or EAC, was phased out in 1986; the program skipped 1987, then came back under the new moniker.

Yes, this is at the beginning of the terrible, but strangely enough, still-running, downhill slide that we're all unfortunately having to contend with...

[A Fish Named Wallyum]

Bill,

We don't have that design on YORP per-se, but I think it's actually the same rocket as the earlier Cougar. I could be wrong, so go ahead and scan the rocket's contents. We won't know until we have something to compare with...

The timeframe was 1988 through 1994. This was introduced as the "premium" for what was now called the "Estes Space Program". The "Estes Aerospace Club", or EAC, was phased out in 1986; the program skipped 1987, then came back under the new moniker.

Yes, this is at the beginning of the terrible, but strangely enough, still-running, downhill slide that we're all unfortunately having to contend with...

I started scanning tonight, but I think I need to reacquaint myself with the submission guidelines. I forgot how I did it.
As for Estes, I think that things looked bad for quite a while, but they're looking up lately. The new MRN being an exception, (aside from Stefan's article.)

[CPMcGraw]

I started scanning tonight, but I think I need to reacquaint myself with the submission guidelines. I forgot how I did it.

Bill,

I think the general spec is for 300 DPI on images, anything higher just consumes bandwidth and storage space without much improvement. My personal preference is for LZW-compressed TIF format, since the amount of data lost in the compression process is much less than when you use the more-common JPG format. Photoshop Elements does this nicely, which is why I haven't switched to anything else yet.

As for Estes, I think that things looked bad for quite a while, but they're looking up lately. The new MRN being an exception, (aside from Stefan's article.)

So far as I recall, this issue is the FIRST I've received notice of since signing up way back when it was announced! I was actually surprised to even receive the email. Estes has improved "in some ways", but they have a tall mountain to climb just to get back to where they really should be. My feeling is they wholesale abandoned their core customers back in the early 1990's in favor of "spontaneous sales", otherwise known as "impulse sales". Notice how they dropped nearly all of the "craftsman-style" kits by about 1993? The newer products had lots of sparkle and flash in the packaging, prompting "grab it and growl" sales, but there was little of substance in the product itself; more emphasis on simplicity of manufacturing as opposed to final appearance, or build accuracy, or more important, flight characteristics; cheaper off-shore production as opposed to improved domestic production. A long list of issues.


Estes needs to get a new promotion worked up, perhaps with the theme of comparing the excitement of real smoke-and-fire action to the imitation of the console and PC game world, and drawing on the all-too-often disappointment of many modern games not having enough "substance" of their own. Maybe comparing how much one spends on just ONE game cartridge or disk set ($40-$80) just to be bored stiff within a short few weeks, and that wasted-time-and-wasted-money feeling when one gets to the end of a game (if they make it that far). Then, look at what one can get for the same money with rocketry, the real challenge of actually building something that is meant to function, then taking it "into the wild" and flying it again and again. What kind of collection can one wind up with if they stay with it? One promotional phrase might be "When a game will no longer do -- GET REAL!"...

[Nuke Rocketeer]

I started scanning tonight, but I think I need to reacquaint myself with the submission guidelines. I forgot how I did it.

A little OT, but........doesn't submission have something to do with kneeling on the floor, banging your forehead three times on the floor and saying in a whiny voice "Yes Ma'am! May I please have more Ma'am"

Joe W